They stand at attention, reverent and respectful, with heads bowed and the Stars and Stripes held high, providing another honor guard for the county’s fallen heroes.

Most of their members are former veterans who have taken a day away from their jobs to pay homage to a fallen comrade. Some still serve their country in the military. All are invited by the family of the deceased service person.

The men, and a few women, are members of The Patriot Guard Riders. The Riders were formed Oct. 27, 2005. A few months earlier, the American Legion Riders Chapter 136, in Kansas, heard that a group of religious zealots was protesting at soldiers’ funerals. Legion members formed a committee to combat the protestors, most of whom were led by Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church.

Westboro church membership consists mainly of Phelps’ extended family. They picket many funerals of U.S. service members, claiming the deaths are divine retribution for the nation’s acceptance of homosexuality.

Nearly 20 states have introduced legislation to either ban or curtail funeral protests, mainly as a result of the Westboro group. A bill making its way through Congress this week would make such protests illegal. President Bush wants to sign the legislation before Memorial Day.

“Many groups were doing this before us,” PGR spokesman Kurt Meyer said. “We discovered many families (of fallen veterans) felt very alone in grieving their loss. They didn’t feel anybody outside the military cared or knew what was going on. We felt we could show America did care, and the families didn’t need to focus on protestors.”

Patriot Guard Riders today has chapters in every state in the U.S., in Canada and in Germany, and 34,000 members worldwide. While 75 percent of members ride motorcycles, that’s not a requirement, Meyer said. Even attending funerals is not a necessity. Some people join the group as a way to support the Riders’ activities.

As casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan increase the Riders attend more and more funerals, sometimes as many as 25 in a single week.

“We always get the family’s permission before we attend. We actually get an invitation from the family,” Meyer said. “Sometimes a funeral home will notify us, or the military or family members or a church.”

Patriot Riders contact local law enforcement officials to prevent any problems that could arise when a group of bikers arrive in town.

“If you don’t work with the cops, you can get into a big misunderstanding,” Meyer said. “In upstate New York at a funeral, the county sheriffs didn’t know what we were doing. They thought we were a bunch of roughneck bikers who had come in to take care of some protestors. The family got on the phone and called them. The cops finally understood, but they asked us not to wear our colors. It was an unusual request, but we complied.”

“We don’t care what you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a "hawk" or a "dove". It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where you’re from or what your income is.  You don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

“Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives:  “1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.  “2. Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.

“We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.”

Meyers calls the funeral protestors’ behavior “inhumane and indecent.” The grief of losing a loved family member is devastating in itself. The presence of people protesting the Iraq war or military policies, while families say their final farewells, is far more than these families should have to endure.

If Congress succeeds in blocking protestors at military funerals, the work of the Patriot Group Riders will not end. Riders visit military hospitals and rest homes, visit wounded soldiers and are beginning a Pen Pal program to correspond with military members away from home.

PRG will receive a special honor before the Indianapolis 500 race Memorial Day weekend. A dozen members will escort Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels during the huge pre-race parade. The coveted role usually is reserved for Indiana law enforcement officers. Nearly 300,000 spectators attend the parade, which is seen on TV by more than 20 million people in the U.S.

For more information on the Patriot Guard Riders, or to join, visit the Web site at http://www.patriotguard.org/.